Shotgun shell reloading implements



Sept. 26, 1967 R. J. LEE

SHOTGUN SHELL RELOADNG IMPLEMENTS Filed Oct. 4, 19.65

W .OM

United States Patent O 3,343,444 sHorGUN SHELL RELOADING IMPLEMENTS Richard J. Lee, RR. 2, Hazffora, wis. 53027 Filed oct. 4, 1965, ser. No. 492,601 1 claim. (01.86-24) This invention relates to improvements in Shotgun shell reloading implements, and more particularly to an irnproved wad guide device for use in reloading shotshells.

In the reloading of shotgun shells it is necessary to insert one or more wads into the used shell casing between the powder and the shot charge, and ordinarily a ramming tool and a sleeve-like guide device are employed to facilitate the insertion of said wads into the casing. Unfortunately, and particularly with the integral plastic wad columns that are becoming increasingly popular, the wad unit is frequently inadvertently drawn upwardly in the shotshell casing with the ramming tool as said tool is withdrawn therefrom, thus necessitating the re-setting of said wad unit, which is tedious and time-consuming. To elimiuate this objectionable situation, wad guides have 'been designed in the past with a plurality of depending resilient fingers which not only facilitate the insertion of the wad, but which function to retain the wad in its fully inserted position within the casing until the ramming tool has been withdrawn. Heretofore, however, said devices have been designed with several closely-machined interfitting steel and brass components and they are relatively expensive in construction.

With the above considerations in mind, the principal objects of the present invention are to provide a novel onepiece wad guide device which is molded from inexpensive plastic, thus greatly reducing the cost of the unit, and which new wad guide is equally efficient and effective in use :as the more expensive devices heretofore employed.

Further objects of the present invention are to provide a new and improved wad guide for use in reloading shotgun shelhls which is durable and long-lasting in construction, and which is otherwise particularly well adapted for its intended purposes.

With the above and other objects in view, which othe objects and advantages of the present invention will 'become apparent hereinafter, the invention comprises the improved wad guide llustrated in the drawing and hereinafter described, and also any and all variations or modifications thereof as may come within the spirit of said invention, and within the scope of the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawing, illustrating one preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein the same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views:

FIG. 1 is a Vertical sectional view through the improved wad guide;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of said wad guide;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through a shotgun shell casing with the irnproved wad guide mounted thereon, and showing a wad column being inserted therein; and

FIG. 4 is a similar longitudinal sectional view showing the wad guide fully inserted in the shell casing, and with the ramming tool being withdrawn.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 3 and 4 of the 'drawing, llustrated therein is a conventional Shotgun shell casing having a cylindrical body formed of plastic, paper, or other suitable material, and including a 'brass base member 11. In the reloading of a shell the used casing is first resized and a new primer is inserted in the base, and a predetermined quantity of explosive powder 12 is poured into the open top of said shell, the quantity depending upon the type and intended use 'of the shell. The next step in the reloading operation is the in- 3,343,,444 Patented Sept.-26, 1967 ICC sertion of the over-powder or so-called nitro and filler wads, and the charge of BB*s (not shown) is then introduced and the top of the casing is crimped and closed.

When a Shotgun is fired the gun firing pin strikes the primer in the base of the shotshell and detonates the priming mixture, which detonation ignites the powder charge.

As the powder burns a gas forms and when a suflicient pressure builds up, the wads and shot are propelled forwardly from the shell casing and out of the gun barrel. The wads perform two tasks. First, they confine the gas within the shell until proper pressure is developed, which job is ordinarily performed by the over-powder wad. The second job is performed by the so-called filler wads which are somewhat resilient and which function .as a butfer between the over-powder wad and the shot to prevent the balling up lof shot which might take place i-f the overpowder wad propelled by lthe gases should strike the shot directly.

As hereinabove mentioned, the present tendency in reloading shotshells is to utilize a unitary wad and shot cup formed of lightweight plastic. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, said so-called wad column 13 includes a base portion 14 having apertures 15 therethrough defining :a lower portion which forms the over-powder wad, and the base portion thereabove forms the filler or buifer wad. The upper portion of said wad column is in the form of an elongated, open top cup 16 which is designed to 'form a receptacle for the shot charge (not shown), said cup having longitudinal slits which permit it -to expand and form a gas seal. In Iieu of the illustrated plastic wad column, plain disc-like wads formed of cardboard or felt, or other material, can also -be employed, and the present invention is not to be limited in lthis respect.

With reference now to FIGS. 1 'and 2 of the drawing, it will be seen that the improved wad guide 18 comprising the present invention includes a rigid tubular plastic body 19 having open top and `bottom ends. Formed on the inner annular surface of said body adjacent its upper end are ra iplurality of depending, closely-spaced fingers 20 which are curved downwardlyV and radially inwardly in converging relationship, said fingers being relatively thin and flexible in nature. Unlke conventional wad guides which are constructed of several interfitting threaded steel Sections, and wherein the depending fingers are brass, the unit 18 comprising the present invention is molded as a single unitary member from plastic or similar inexpensive material. It has been found that the cost of manufacturing the present device is a fraction of the cost of said prior wad guides.

As shown in FIG. 3, when it is desired to insert a wad column 13 into a used shell casing 10, the sleeve-like wad guide 18 is fitted on the upper end of said casing with the depending fingers 20 on said guide member projecting into the casing interior. The wad column 13 is then inserted into the open upper end of said wad guide and an elongated cylindrical ram 22 or similar wadding tool is projected downwardly into said wad column, said ram fitting snugly therein, as illustrated. Manual pressure on said wadding tool Will then force the wad column downwardly into the shell casing and past the flexible fingers 20 on the wad guide, said fingers being flattened against the inner surface of the shell casing during the downward passage of said wad column. The presence of said guide member promotes the straight insertion and descent of said wad column within the casing, particularly in used shells which have been misshapen somewhat by prior firings.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the wad column 13 is then pushed downwardly to its lowermost position, where it bears against the surface of the powder 12. Predetermined manual pressure is applied to said wad column to compress the powder sufiiciently to ensure uniform burning.

In said fully inserted position the top of said wad column is located immediately below the lower ends of the wad guide flexible fingers 20, said fingers snapping inwardly away from the Wall of the shell casing as said descending wad column clears the lower ends thereof. In this position, and as will be seen in FIG. 4, said inwardly and downwardly-projecting fingers 20 prevent upward movement of the wad column and permit the wadding tool 22 to be withdrawn from the casing without pulling said wad column upwardly therewith. This is critical if it is desired to obtain reloaded shells of consistent quality because the compression of the powder by the wads must be uniform in each shell in order to provide uniform burning rates.

After the wad column 13 has been mounted in the shell casing, as described, a measured quantity of shot is poured into the upper end thereof. With an integral wad column of the type illustrated the shot is contained in the cup-like upper portion 16 of said column. The upper, projecting end of the Shell casing is then folded over and crimped to close the same, as `is welltknown in the art, and the Shell is ready for use.

From the foregoing detailed description, it will be seen that the present invention provides a novel and improved wad guide for use in reloading shotgun shells which is an improvement o'ver the guide devices heretofore used. Unlike conventional wad guides which require several machined steel and brass components and which are relatively expensive in construction, the present invention comprises a one-piece unit molded of plastic or similar inexpensive material, thns permitting its manufaoture for substantially less cost than said prior wad guides. Moreover, the present device is durable and long-lasting.

It is to be understood, of course, that the invention is not to be limited or confined to a device exactly as shown and hereinabove described. It is contemplated that numerous modifications or variations therein are possible and it is intended to cover not only the illustrated structure but also any modifications or variations thereof as may come within the spirit of said invention, and within the scope of the following claim.

What I claim is:

In combination with a used shotgun shell having .an open-top cylindrical body and a wad column and shot cup unit adapted to be seated on a predetermined quantity of powder in the bottom portion of said body with the top of said wad column unit spaced a predetermined distance below the top of said body, a one-piece molded plastic wad column guide for use with a reloading ram, comprising: a sleeve-like tubular element molded in one piece of plastic adapted to be removably mounted on and surrounding the upper end of said shell body, said tubular element having an open top and bottom and being of a size to receive said wad column unit; and a plurality of flexible and resilient fingers formed integrally on and around the inner annular surface of said tubular element adjacent the upper end thereof adapted to project downwardly within said shell body when said guide is mounted thereon, said fiexible fingers normally being gradually curved radially inwardly toward their lower ends to provide a yieldable, progressively restricted opening to guide the downward travel of a wad column inserted in the upper end of said guide and pushed downwardly therethrough by means of a ram, said flexible and resilient fingers being substantially flattened against the inner surface of said shell body as said wad column unit passes therethrough and being adapted to snap radially inwardly when said wad column is pushed completely through said guide vand is pressurably seated on a predetermined quantity of powder in the bottom portion of said shell body, :and said fingers being of a length whereby the lower ends thereof are located immediately above the top of said wad column unitand prevent upward movement of the same when said unit has been pressurably seated on said powlder to allow the withdrawal of the ram from the shell body without eifecting the compression of said powder.

`References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 479,613 7/1892 Baldwin 86-33 2,744,288 5/ 1956 Fienberg et al 18-42 2,749,790 6/1956 Miller 86-30 X 3,057,247 10/1962 Behrens 86-25 3,282,147 11/1966 Havourd et al. 86-25 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

P. A. SI'IANLEY, Assistant Examiner, 

